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Climate change

Estimating Biomass in Eucalyptus and Pinus Forests Using UAV-Based LiDAR

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Investigations into accurate biomass estimation for forest management and climate change mitigation have led to new research on the application of LiDAR data from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in estimating above-ground and total biomass in Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus pinaster stands in central and northern Portugal. Funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the Centre for Research and Technology of Agro-environmental and Biological Sciences, the study demonstrates the feasibility and efficiency of using UAV LiDAR point cloud data for stand-level biomass estimation.

Key Takeaways:

  • The researchers used LiDAR data acquired through UAVs to estimate above-ground and total biomass in Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus pinaster stands in central and northern Portugal.
  • The study found that the 25th height percentile, canopy cover density at two meters, and height variance demonstrated an accurate biomass estimation for Eucalyptus globulus, with coefficients of determination (R^2) varying between 0.86 for Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and 0.90 for Random Forest (RF).
  • The results showed that though Random Forest demonstrated a similar predictive performance, MLR presented advantages in terms of interpretability and computational efficiency.
  • For Pinus pinaster, only MLR was applied due to the limited number of field data, yet R^2 exceeded 0.80.
  • The study concluded that although absolute errors were higher for Pinus pinaster due to greater biomass variability, relative performance remained consistent across species.
  • The results provide simple and effective models for biomass estimation in Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus pinaster forests.

Statistics:

  • Coefficients of determination (R^2) for Eucalyptus globulus:

+ MLR: 0.86

+ RF: 0.90

  • Coefficient of determination (R^2) for Pinus pinaster: 0.80
  • Number of field data for Pinus pinaster: limited

Sources:

  • "Estimating Biomass in Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus pinaster Forests Using UAV-Based LiDAR in Central and Northern Portugal" (Land, 2025, 14(7):1460. Available at https://doi.org/10.3390/land14071460).
  • University of Tras-os-Montes and Alto Douro Researchers Update Knowledge of Landscape Ecology (NewsRx, 2025)
  • Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology
  • Centre for Research and Technology of Agro-environmental and Biological Sciences

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